Filing-cabinet.



M. R. RODRIGUES.

FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4. I9I4.

1,1 92,568.- Patented July 25, 1916.

0 %IIIIIIIIIIPIIIIIIIIII Q @FFTF MANUEL R. RODRIGUES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

I FILING- CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed February 4, 1914. serial No. 816,594.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MANUEL R. Romuoons, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn of the city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Filing- Cabinet, of which the following is a specification, the same being a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices adapted to contain a collection of papers arranged according to date or subject, or alphabeti cally disposed, for the sake of ready reference, and in particular to a cabinet constructed and arranged to detachably hold a plurality of filing cases, each adapted to provide a series of receptacles or pockets in which documents may be placed in due order for preservation and reference.

To attain the desired end the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and operation of parts herein set forth, and also in the art of manufacturing the same.

In order to enable the invention to be fully understood, I shall proceed to explain the same by reference to the drawings, illustrative of one embodiment of the invention, which accompany and form a part of this specification, and in which Figures 1 and 2 are views in perspective representing my filing cabinet, one of the files being shown in an open relation in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the filing cabinet; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views in detail showing the interior mechanism. of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views.

Referring particularly to the drawings, denotes the casing of a cabinet made of any suitable material and preferably provided with a closure, as a door A. The cabinet A is preferably constructed and arranged to contain a number of files, as F, and to sustain the same in both an open and closed relation, according to the conditions of use, as by means of brackets B which are preferably attached to each of the inner faces of the side portions of the cabinet. The said brackets B are preferably formed with countersunk screw holes, as 5 at each side of the same in order that oppositely disposed pairs of similar brackets may be alternatively secured to either of the side walls of the cabinet, as by screws 6 The brackets B are also preferably made with extensions or flanges, as Z) projecting forwardly from the files.

A suitable number of brackets are secured within the cabinet and form ledges on which the files as F, rest. The side portions of the files F are held to the side walls of the cabinet by friction or by interposed holding devices, and when the hinged lid thereof, as f, is free, it may be opened and caused to lie against the therebelow pair of flanges b" which are located at each side of the cabinet, thereby limiting the forward movement of the lid in which event it will assume the position shown in the representation of the central compartment of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 1. While in this position, the various leaves of the file form a series of plurality of open pockets or filing receptacles.

In order to hold the lid f in 'a closed relation, after the desired documents have been placed therein, I ordinarily hinge a preferably gravity catch, as C, to the rear wall of the cabinet approximately in the plane of the top of the file, the said pivoted catch preferably having a stop dog, as C, at the inner end thereof, and an inwardly inclined finger piece, as G at the opposite extremity of the same, the said finger piece preferably having a depending portion constructed and arranged to hang over the upper front edge of the lid when the same is in a closed relation. By lifting the finger piece C the file F may be opened, and after no further use of the same is required, the lid f may be held in a closed relation by moving the same to a vertical position whereupon it will automatically engage the catch C.

It will be noted that the file F comprises a back part f having attached side portions f, a front part or lid f having attached side portions f an intermediate connecting series of leavesf forming pockets, and a hinge f connecting the contacting lower edges of said front and back parts 7 and f.

\Vhen the file is in an open relation the said leaves f appear in fan-like formation, the back part f being sustained by the upper part of the brackets B, and the lid 7, being constructed and arranged to rest against the lower portion or depressed extension 7) of 3 the bracket. The said bracket thus serves to limit the forward movement of the lid f when in an open position and also to prevent the sagging down of the hinged lid f, and the sides f and the hinged leaves 7, when the file is in a closed relation. 7

The lid 7 is provided with a lower rearwardly projecting flange 7 attached to the lid 7 and of a width equal to the vertical portion of the bracket B, and the back part f is provided with a bottom flange F, the said flanges f and being connected by the hinge f, the joint of which is located at the angle at the forward end of the upper horizontal portion of the said bracket which supports the rear part of the hinge and the entire file when in a closed relation, the

lower spaced projecting part b" of the bracket serving to sustain the forward part of the hinge and attached lid when in an open relation.

The cabinet and files are preferably so relatively arranged that the cabinet will 'hold any desired number of files which are held in a detachable relation, in order that after a period of use the files may be detached and removed and new ones substituted therefor. Although only one section of a cabinet equippedwith filing devices is shown, yet, obviously, the said section may be duplicated and attached to the original section by hinges in a similar manner to which the door A is secured to the same.

An auxiliary shelf, as D, is preferably attached to the door A, as by means of brackets Z which preferably enter into the spaces between the files F when the door is closed and which lie over the extensions 6 of the brackets B and which serve to support the pintle d on which the said shelf is ordinarily hung. The said shelf D is preferably constructed and arranged so as to be heldagainst the inner face of the door when not in use, as by a catch (Z which is then positioned adjacent to the'lower inclined portion of the finger piece'C and to lie against the said brackets when assuming a horizontal position whenthe door is open in order to hold letters or other documents, etc.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to belimited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention is In a filing cabinet, a casing, a file having a divided bottom part forming a hinge, the file having a rear portion or back held within the'casing and secured to the rear part of the hinge, a lid attached to the forward portion of the hinge, a plurality of interior leaves connecting the rear and lid and forming filing receptacles, means to support the lid in either an open or closedrelation comprising an element located within the casing and having an elevated horizontal por tion to sustain the rear part, of the hinge and to support the entire file when in a closed relation, and a spaced lower projecting part to sustain the forward portion of the hinge and attached lid when in an open relation, the joint of the hinge being located at the forward end of the upper horizontal portion of the said supporting element.

In testimony of the foregoing specification I do hereby sign the same in the borough of Brooklyn of the city of New'York, county of Kings and State of New York this 11th day of December, 1913.

MANUEL R. RODRIGUES.

Witnesses:

J. ODELL FO LER, ,LOUIS J. SAL'rzMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissi ner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

